The return of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to the team’s facility on Wednesday is a reminder that plenty of questions remain regarding the decisions made as to his health before flying to London with a blood clot in his leg, playing in London with a blood clot in his leg, and flying back from London with a blood clot in his leg.
A widespread presumption has emerged that the NFL and NFL Players Association have commenced a joint investigation into the care and recommendations Hurts received from team and league doctors. However, the investigation has yet to start.
The statement issued by the league and the NFLPA said only that they are “working together to review the matter.” A formal investigation has not yet begun, of any kind. The union has the right under the Collective Bargaining Agreement to initiate an investigation. That hasn’t happened, either.
If the NFLPA will be working with the NFL in any official investigation, it’s critical that the union insist on a process that will be fair, objective, and transparent. It can’t be a CYA exercise.
Basically, it can’t give off the same vibes that have emanated from the team and the league, to date. The union can’t afford to create the impression that it’s complicit in a coverup. And the process needs to lead to real change, aimed at ensuring that someone disconnected from the team (and possibly from the league, especially as to international games) will be involved in medical decisions as to potentially serious health situations.
The NFL and the NFLPA already employ an unaffiliated doctor when it comes to diagnosing concussions and clearing players to return after suffering concussions. Other health conditions require a similar layer of detachment, in order to ensure that the shared incentives of the team and the player for the player to play will not override the importance of treating the player like a patient.
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